Show: Insight Station: KNCO File: 11:3.mp3 Air date: 2026-11-03 Source: OpenAI whisper-1 · shrunk from 98.6 MB to 12.3 MB --- transcript --- For 31 years, Tom Fitzsimmons has been a familiar voice on KNCO radio. But to so many of us, Tom is much more than a voice. He's a friend, a neighbor, and someone who's always been there for our community. Now Tom needs us. For five years, Tom has been fighting stage 4 prostate cancer. He's now facing serious medical procedures that will keep him off the air for several months. A GoFundMe has been established to help with his medical costs and everyday living expenses. So Tom can focus on his health and recover. Every dollar donated goes directly to Tom and every gift makes a difference. Tom has spent 31 years being there for Nevada County. Now it's our turn to be there for him. Please visit knco.com to learn more about what he's going through and how you can help. Updates on Tom will also be posted at knco.com. Thank you from the bottom of all of our hearts. Welcome to KNCO Insight, Nevada County Action, KNCO's local issue talk show. This is your chance to gain insight into issues affecting Nevada County. Be a part of the show. Call with your questions or comments. The number, 4775626, that's 477-KNCO. The opinions expressed are those of the hosts and callers and do not reflect the opinions of the advertisers, staff, or ownership of Nevada County broadcasters. Now here is your host, Tom Fitzsimmons. And this, of course, is Mo filling in for Tom for the next couple of weeks or so. And on Tuesdays, Tom usually has a chat with his good buddy, who is Jason Tedder. Good morning, Jason. Hey, good morning. I thought you looked a little taller. Oh, am I taller than Tom? Just, yeah, a little bit. It's the heels. It's California, after all. And you also, since we're talking about the anniversary of the birth of the Marine Corps, Brian Manafort is on the phone. Good morning, Brian. Hey, good morning to both of you. How are you doing? You've got a good phone line. That is a strong one. Yeah, yeah, I'm doing great. How are you doing, Jason? Very good, and it's good to hear your voice, Brian. Thanks for calling in. Hey, good to hear you, too. And yeah, before we get into that, I wonder if you might, Jason, since you've been so close with Tom over the years, I know that you didn't learn about Tom leaving the airwaves for a few months until, it was probably last Thursday, right? Or Thursday, or Wednesday, or something like that. The show where he was talking about it, yeah. Yeah, that was, oh. I was surprised, yeah. Yeah, that was, so, and when you first hear it, it's a huge shock. And then you try to figure out, you know, what, you know, what can we do? What do we do? Well, I was slightly shocked. I know that he's one of those kind of guys, you know, real old school like me, and like Brian, no doubt, you know, we try to tough it out as long as we can. And we wear our injuries without a lot of fanfare or, anyway, sorry I'm getting a little flustered thinking about it. But he's been telling me that he's been having a hard time and that things are getting a little rougher for him as far as maintaining his energy and being able to do all the work that he does. And although I know he really loves doing what he does every morning, he really needs to focus on his health. And I'm so glad that he has made the commitment to himself and to his family to take this time off and try to get better. I think that was a missing component, because this job is pretty taxing. He works really hard at it. He does, yeah, and I really miss him. And it has to be, I don't want to say serious, but for Tom to not be here. It's just quite an unusual circumstance. It is. And he would probably do anything other than not do his radio show, because he loves doing it. And so you can understand that it was a difficult decision for him to make, but one that he had to make. So. And, you know, let's plug the GoFundMe one more time. Tom has worked tirelessly on chicken scratch, as he likes to say, for a lot of years to help out this community and, you know, lots of volunteer hours going over and watching all the sports games. Whether you knew it or not, he's always been in the background in your life and being a part of that and making sure that you knew about what was going on in our county, whether it be from the weather or just local interest topics. And it's not that big of a deal to give back to that guy. In fact, it's pretty well placed if you need to find somewhere to put a few dollars. You can go to knco.com and you can listen to Tom's message that he recorded that was live on the air that we recorded. And it's saved there. Plus, you can find out how to donate to the GoFundMe program that's set up for Tom. Well, we are this morning here to talk about the anniversary of the birth of the United States Marine Corps. And who wants to get into that? How about Brian? Brian Manafort is joining us remotely. This guy is a world traveler and he happens to be in Maryland at the time. I'm actually in Pennsylvania. Oh, he moved again. I was in Maryland. Well, that's a good excuse for not being here because it's a heck of a commute. It is. It takes all day to get out here, even on an airplane. Well, Brian, well, first of all, before we do that, can you tell me what inspired you to join the Marine Corps? Well, it's multifaceted. I would say that, you know, a strong desire to serve your country combined with, you know, a belief in traditional American values and holding dear a lot of the things that, you know, we all appreciate like our freedom and the ability to, you know, move between states freely and all these things are brought to us courtesy of the U.S. military. My family's seventh generation U.S. military. And so growing up, you know, I was always exposed to the stories of my father, who's a Vietnam veteran. My grandfather was a Navy corpsman in the Pacific during World War II. And then I had numerous great uncles that served in the South Pacific during World War II. And then my mom really got into genealogical history. And we learned about our Revolutionary War and French and Indian War ancestors. And so it was kind of a natural progression for me to want to at least serve for a little bit, you know. And so instead of serving for a little bit, you. I did 21 years. There you go. What did you do for the Marine Corps? So I was an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, specializing in ground combat arms and counterterrorism, and did that in that same MOS basically the whole time. There was a few breaks in between where, you know, the Marine Corps wants you to expand your horizons. So they, every four years, they put you in an administrative job, so you're well-rounded. But most of the time, I was supporting infantry or infantry units. You know, we see in motion pictures and TV shows boot camp. What was boot camp like? I haven't served in any form of the military, but what is it like? Sure. So, well, there's two types of boot camp, and unfortunately, I can talk about both of them because I was assigned to both schools. I went through Officer's Candidate School because I became a Marine officer. So I have exposure to OCFs, and then I spent four years serving as a commander down at the boot camp in San Diego, and that's where we send our enlisted Marines. So, say, for example, a local kid wants to go do four years in the Marine Corps. He goes and sees the recruiter. They ship him off. If he doesn't have a college degree, he would go to MCRD San Diego. That stands for Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, and that's if he lives west of the Mississippi, that's where he would go to, and then our East Coast Marines, if they're from that geographic region, would go to Parris Island, South Carolina. It's a 13-week boot camp. It's the longest in all the services. It's actually quite a bit longer than I think the next closest one might be nine or 10 weeks, but we're 13 weeks, and we work on everything from close order drill to rifle marksmanship, learning about the Uniform Code of Military Justice and becoming, you know, a basic Marine that's ready to serve, especially overseas. In terms of discipline, we have traditionally the hardest boot camp out of all the services besides being the longest, which I mentioned. Ours is very deeply rooted in tradition, even more so than the other services. I've been to all the boot camps in a professional manner to, you know, study how they do it, and they come out and study how we do it, and I can say by far, ours is definitely the most physically and mentally demanding, but our Marines have a different mission, so I mean, you know, I don't like to talk poorly of any of the other boot camps, but if you want the full Monty and the full experience, you know, I always tell kids, if you want to challenge yourself, go to a Marine Corps boot camp. What did you experience, Jason? Well, my boot camp was eight weeks long. I would say it was intensely mentally rigorous. We had to absorb and learn so many things. In fact, the physical part of it was kind of a joke, to be quite honest. My run times went down because I had to, like, run by the lowest common denominator. And this is Great Lakes, this is the Navy. Yeah, Navy, Great Lakes, great mistakes. But again, there's a lot of study about naval tradition and history and basic military instruction, which is, you know, how to address people, what the rank and structure is, and how to recognize who officers enlisted are by their insignia on their uniforms, certain rules, going back to the UCMJ. And then it culminates with a big event called Battle Stations. We do, and I think the Marine Corps have something very similar, they call it the gauntlet. The crucible. Crucible, thank you. Yeah. So it's just a series of challenges. It starts to just weed people out, and we definitely had a lot of attrition, so people left. But a big component of that, and I think, you know, working into the topic for today, is naval history and tradition. And this is where we really learn about our chosen profession, and the people who have come before us, and then also the reasons why we do the things that we do, and more importantly, the things that we celebrate about our branch of the military. And in this case, the Marines are quite proud of their birthday tradition. And they have a series of ceremonies, and they give it a lot of reverence. And with the high tempo and workload that those folks have, and the amount of stressors, this has always been historically like a timeout, a moment to stop what they're doing, and to really reflect on why they're there. And maybe Brian could tell us a little bit about that history and tradition. Yeah. So the Marine Corps was born on 10th of November, 1775. And at the time, the United States really didn't even exist. We had a Continental Congress, and they were the ones that authorized the raising of two battalions of Marines, and that was to serve during the present war with Great Britain and the colonies. And so they started recruiting Marines to serve aboard Navy ships, which brings up, you know, a point that sometimes people know, and sometimes people don't. But our association with the Navy is very close. We actually fall under Department of the Navy. There's a Department of the Air Force, there's a Department of the Army, and there's a Department of the Navy. And we are a subset of the U.S. Navy to this day. They were disbanded after the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, and they actually ceased to exist for 15 years, and then Congress reestablished them in July of 1798. But we celebrate our birthday as the 10th of November. And what that typically looks like is, you know, pageantry, cutting of a cake, they present the colors. The leader of the Marine Corps, we call him the Commandant, and he's a four-star general, and he's the representative on the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the service. And he puts out a message every year, and they play that up on the big screen. And then they read a message from the 1920s from General Lejeune, and he helped reestablish some birthday traditions. So they read his message every year. And it's just basically a great big party. Dinner, dancing, remembrance of friends. We always pay homage to the fallen Marines, sailors that went before us. You know, we set up a little POW table. And it's a big deal for the Marine Corps. And it doesn't matter where you are in the world, even if it's a short ceremony, the Marines celebrate the birthday. And they literally have done it under fire with like a little, you know, cake out of an MRE with a candle in it. And there's some pretty famous stories out there of Marines, even in the most intense conditions, overseas, still celebrating the birthday on November 10th. So they take it pretty serious. Well, you know what, we need to take a break here, maybe absorb all this, and we'll come back and we'll continue our conversation with Jason and Brian, and we'll also get some more information about the beginning of the United States Marine Corps, and maybe even take a look at what might be happening locally. It is 921 and 55 degrees. This is your Nevada County Register of Voters, Armando Salud-Ambriz. Today is November 3rd, the final day to vote in the general election. Today, ballots can be dropped off at any vote center or official drop box. Vote centers are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Use the Sign, Scan, Go option to make sure your ballot is counted tonight. Bring your ballot to a vote center, sign a roster, and scan it yourself. Find locations at nevadacountyca.gov forward slash vote here. Hey, Nevada County, I'm Lucas Mijares. And I'm Jesse Etlin. We're the founders of Zion Capital right here in your backyard. And if you've listened to Dave Ramsey, you know how important it is to have someone you can trust. That's why we're your local SmartVestor pros. Lucas was named one of eight finalists for Advisor of the Year by Investment News, and has been featured in Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. And Jesse's been voted Best Financial Advisor in Nevada County four years in a row. 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It's a really important day, one of the most important days to me personally, and I really hope everybody out there takes advantage of National Sandwich Day. It's a big deal. Ooh, it is a big deal. All right, good one, Jason. Anyway, good morning, and one of the things I think we really need to touch on is, there's an event here coming up, right, Brian? There is. There's a big party on November 10th, and it's over in Nevada City and Friar Texas hosting it this year. Very, very exciting. Mo, do you have some details on that? I do, yes. I do. Oh, you do. Okay, Brian, go ahead. Yeah, so I'll go, and then you can go if you want to provide any amplifying details, but so November 10th, Tuesday, like you mentioned, dinner at Friar Tex, and it's going to be our 251st birthday celebration. We had our 250th last year there and had over 100 people show up, but I wanted to very specifically say it's not just for Marines. So America doesn't need a Marine Corps. America wants a Marine Corps, so we are really truly America's Marines, and so when we celebrate, we invite friends, families, members of all military branches, past and present. They're all invited to celebrate, and it's just an important point to make because a lot of people think that they'll feel uncomfortable because it's just for Marines, but it's not at all. It's normally a party that most people go, and if it's for their first time, they are pleasantly surprised, and they always want to go back to another one. I always tell people, if you haven't been to a Marine Corps birthday, you have to go to at least one in your lifetime. So I have all the details if you're ready for that as well. Certainly. Yes, go ahead. Okay, so it's going to start, doors open for cocktail hour at 4 o'clock. Dinner is served from 5 to 7.30. We'll do a ceremony from 6 to 6.30. It's semi-formal attire, so we just want you to wear something nice. The military uniforms are encouraged if you're a former military member. We add to TRSVP pretty soon. You can find it at www.friartux.com, and there's a drop-down menu for their upcoming events. There's a URL that you can scan as well, and even if you can't attend, you can buy tickets and say that they're for somebody who can't afford to go or if you know a local serviceman or somebody that you want to sponsor there. I know they're accepting that as well. So it's going to be a great evening. We're respecting the 100-plus people, and I think it's a great deal. It's $75 a person, but each dinner ticket includes two cocktails, and that alone is a $25 to $30 value. So each dinner comes with two tickets. There's a beef offering, I believe a chicken one, and then a vegetarian one. So there's food for all palates, and it's just going to be a great time. Last year, we had a Gold Star family there. A family had lost their daughter, a local family, at Abbey Gate during the withdrawal from Afghanistan a few years ago. We were there honoring her. We had retired Marine Corps generals, colonels, all the way down through all the ranks, and so it was just a really great time. We had local leaders, and we just invite everyone from the community to come out and celebrate America's Marine Corps with us on November 10th. And if you did want to sponsor a seat, what's the best way to go about doing that? Well, you can call Tommy Harkins. He's the Marine that's working with me. He's a local fireman. He's busy today, but you can give him a call, and his number is on the website, and then I also have it here. It's 530-559-9930, and I believe basically what you do is you would still go on and buy the tickets, and we would just call Tommy and let him know that that's what you did. But we're trying to get an accurate count for dinner, so that's what's driving that whole RSVP issue. Yeah, by tomorrow, it looks like. Well, that's what they say. That's best-case scenario, but I believe that they're going to leave it open longer than that, and I believe you can also buy tickets at the door. We encourage people not to do that, of course, because we don't want to have the wrong number when we start ordering food. So that's what's driving that 4 November deadline. And that is at 111 North Pine Street in Nevada City. Correct. For Friar Tuck's. All right. I want to acknowledge Ken Page and his family, too. They closed down their restaurant. Absolutely. They miss out on this day's revenue on purpose. I mean, they're really not making a lot of money on this, if you do the numbers. Anybody who's been out to eat lately knows how expensive things are getting. And it's just a wonderful event. They've just remodeled Friar Tuck's, and I think they did a wonderful job. It's fantastic. It's a lot more open, right? It feels more homey than it used to, although it's always been a wonderful place to dine and have a drink. And for them to lend this venue to the Marines and to us as a community at large, I'm so pleased and so grateful for all of them. Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. Ken's nephew is actually a lieutenant colonel getting ready to retire in the Marine Corps, and he's always been a staunch supporter of our first responders, firemen, police, and in our local military. And I'm really glad that you brought that up, because without him, we really couldn't make it happen. A lot of the venues are tremendously expensive, and he's bent it over backwards. And like you said, the restaurant, which they now call The Sherwood, is totally renovated. And if you went to last year's celebration, it doesn't look anything like it used to. It's totally open. Everybody can see the big screen now. It's going to be a lot more interactive. And so we're really looking forward to this year. All right, we are talking with Brian Manafort, live from Pennsylvania, through the technology of the iPhone, I would imagine, or smartphone, and Jason Tedder here in studio. Brian, I don't know if you wouldn't mind talking about, you're a historical weapons expert and dealer, and if you wouldn't mind talking about that when we come back. We're going to head into our break here, and get an update from Chris Gilbert in the newsroom. It is 9.33 and 55 degrees. I'm Chris Gilbert with the KNCO local news update. We're getting closer to election night, which is tonight. And among the notable Nevada county races are four candidates vying for two open seats on the Grass Valley City Council that are being vacated by Heaven Caravelli and Hillary Hodge. That's Scott Beasley, Paul Wright, Ed Peavy, and former council member Bob Branstrom. There are also two open seats on the NID Board of Directors. Terry McAteer and Jesse White are seeking to replace Ricky Heck, who's not seeking a new term. And James Smith is trying to unseat Chris Beerwagon. There are also numerous special district and school district races. That includes two open seats on the Nevada Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees. Nina Kopp is trying to unseat Olivia Pridget, with Tim Giroux and Keith Allen vying for a seat being vacated by Ken Johnson. Voters in the Pleasant Grove School District are also considering a bond measure. And voters in Nevada City are considering changes to short-term rental regulations. And once again, election officials around California, including in Nevada County, are reminding residents about the careful process of releasing mail-in ballot results due to one of the most stringent processes required in the country. The county's clerk-recorder, Armando Salud-Ambriz, says any mail-in ballots received on Monday and Tuesday will not be counted tonight, and the majority of residents usually wait that long before returning such ballots. We have to ensure that we signature scan, that we review the signatures, that we approve the signatures. If there's a challenge, we reach out to the voter to confirm if they want to cure the signature or fix the signature, if you will. So the life cycle of a ballot when it comes to vote-by-mail takes a process, which is why also California has 29 days, 30 days to certify the election. But Salud-Ambriz says scan-and-go mail-in ballots are also part of the election icon, along with anyone voting in person, although that's a very small percentage for in-person voting. As of Monday afternoon, he said 42 percent of the county's approximately 76,700 registered voters had cast ballots, but he says he expects another 30 percent or so will turn their ballots in today, which will also not be counted tonight. Nevada County plans to release its first unofficial results shortly after 8 tonight, with updates about every two hours until all in-person votes have been counted. And after election night, updated results will be posted every Friday and Tuesday at 4.30 p.m. Join us for our next local news update, coming up at the bottom of the hour. I'm Chris Gilbert, KNCO News Talk 830. The Prop 40 wealth tax may sound like a good idea at first, but the fine print tells a different story. Prop 40 won't fix health care. It sends tens of billions of dollars to health insurance companies with no oversight or accountability and no requirement they lower your health care costs. And Prop 40 doesn't just tax billionaires. When the money runs out, it has a huge loophole that gives politicians the power to expand the tax to anyone without voter approval. That means your personal savings, home equity, even your retirement could all be taxed. It's no wonder Governor Newsom, Javier Becerra, teachers, Planned Parenthood affiliates of California and over 40 newspapers from across the state all agree. Vote no on the Prop 40 wealth tax. Ad paid for by no on Prop 40. Doctors, teachers, small businesses, working families and public safety against the reckless wealth tax experiment. Ad committee's top funder, Building a Better California. Some concerts mean a little more, especially when the artist is coming home. On November 11th, we're welcoming Johnny Houlihan home for a special evening at Miner's Foundry in Nevada City. He grew up right here in western Nevada County and we're excited to celebrate his music with the community that helped shape his story. But an evening like this takes more than a stage and a microphone. It takes people who believe in bringing our community together. And that's why we want to thank personally Dignity Health, Mike Bratton State Farm Insurance, Craig Johnson Plumbing and Stuky Jewelers, Mimi Simmons Century 21, Utopian Stone Jewelers, SPD Markets and Les Schwab Tire Center. Your sponsorship helps make Johnny Houlihan coming home possible and we are grateful for your support. From all of us at KNCO and Star 94 FM, thank you for helping us give Johnny a hometown welcome he'll always remember. Looking for an electric bike in Nevada County? Area 13 Ebikes is clearing out demo and clearance bikes with savings up to $500 off MSRP. Plus holiday deals on big brands like Segway and Abington. Come see us at 117 Neal Street in Grass Valley. Take a test ride or shop online at area13ebikes.com. Local service and repairs from people who ride. Area 13 Ebikes, electric bikes that are out of this world. This from the KNCO B&C ACE Home and Garden Center Weather Center. ACE is the place. Here is your forecast on KNCO News Talk 830. Areas of rain will continue through mid-afternoon or high temperature in the mid-50s. Showers diminish this evening with some patchy fog late tonight. Clearing toward morning, our low will be in the upper 30s. Mostly sunny on Wednesday with a high in the low 60s. Partly cloudy Wednesday night, our low near 40. Sunny in mid-60s Thursday. For weather anytime, click on the Weather Center at knco.com. I'm meteorologist Dan Holliday on KNCO News Talk 830. Back to Insight now on KNCO News Talk 830. It's Moe filling in for Tom Fitzsimmons. And by the way, you can still go to the website knco.com. You can find the GoFundMe at that location and also listen to Tom's message. It's Jason Tedder Day, which is every other Tuesday, I believe. Is that the schedule, Jason? You got it, Moe. Thank you so much. Good morning, everyone. And this happens to be one of those other Tuesdays. It's the best Tuesday. And on the phone is Brian Manafort. Good morning, Brian. Good morning. Thank you very much for being a part of this program today. It's my pleasure. Yeah. Jason, your daughter's here. Did she bring any eggs with her? No. She forgot. Daddy usually reminds her. She forgot. No one ever told me. Oh. She speaks. She speaks. All right. So, yeah, we're talking the Marine Corps and the anniversary of the birth in 1775. And so Brian's on the phone. Marine Corps infantry officer, retired, fifth generation Californian. Did you say seventh generation Marine? Seventh generation U.S. military. Actually, my brother and I are the first Marines in our family. Oh, excellent. Oh, wow. Yeah. That's good. That must have been great with Dad, huh? Well, you know, when we first told my dad, hey, we're thinking of joining the Marine Corps, he was like, why do you want to do that? I remember all the Marines I used to run into on Liberty over in Vietnam, you know? I had the opposite story. My father was a Marine. I have a man I call my father, Mike Martineau. That's right. And I told him I was going to join the Navy. And he was watching Matlock at the time. I'll never forget it. It was a good, like, at least 30-minute pause. And he looked at me and he said, or no, he didn't even look at me. He just said, that's acceptable. We do sign the checks after all. That's approval. Yeah. It's the best I could get from my Marine father, yeah. What branch did you say your father was, Brian? He was in the U.S. Navy from 1967 to 1969. Served over in the Tonkin Gulf. Did four campaigns over there and up the coast of Vietnam. How about going another generation back? Do you have any information about your grandfather? I do. He was a Navy corpsman over in the Pacific. And before he shipped over, he actually worked down at Balboa Naval Hospital and at the Marine base, giving shots and providing medical care for Marines before they shipped out to the Pacific. And that would have been fairly early on. That would have been 1942. I believe he signed up just right after Pearl Harbor. There was a massive influx of men wanting to join in patriotic fervor. And they actually kept recruiting stations open in December after the December 7th attack. They kept them open 24 hours. That's how many people were wanting to join. Lines went around the block in America's big cities in San Diego, Los Angeles, Philadelphia. And I believe he was part of that initial crowd that joined right after Pearl Harbor. And then he didn't come home until, I believe, late 1945. And met my grandmother shortly thereafter. So you're obviously quite the history buff. Is that how you found your new career? Well, you know, it's funny that your hobbies can become careers. Actually, right before I retired, I got hired by Morphe Options out here in Pennsylvania as a military and firearms specialist. And what I do is I catalog historic American weapons, antiques. But it's morphed into I do most of the cowboy western stuff for them now. We've acquired some other auction houses and ones that specialize in Native American and cowboy western antiques. And so that's actually the catalog that I'm back here writing right now is for our January Old West auction. And that's going to be in Las Vegas in January. So, yeah, my passion is history. And that turned into a job after I got out of the Marine Corps. And I'm very fortunate that this company offered me the opportunity to, you know, something I was interested in and turned it into a professional career. Very cool. What can you say about some of the weapons that you've encountered over the years? Maybe something that was really memorable or marked? Oh, yeah, I mean, oh, geez, let me see. I really enjoy, you know, guns are guns and swords are swords. But I really enjoy handling things with a lot of American history. We had a musket and Bible here a number of years ago that was used and documented. But it was used at the Battle of Bunker Hill, beginning phases of the American Revolution. And that, you know, was a half a million dollar gun. I handled a life ring that was blown off the USS Arizona on December 7th of 1941 during the attack. And then we were able to forensically prove that it had fuel oil on it and it was the real thing. And that also hammered for six figures. Last year we sold, or actually in January, no, June, we sold a gun that Nancy James had used in one of his first robberies. That was also a six-figure item. And we sold a gun that belonged to one of the Dalton gang members used in the Coffeyville Raid, one of the last big gunfighter holdups of the Old West. And then so many historical little things that I can't even count. Is there anything that you're on the lookout for? Is there some valued weapon that maybe you know exists but you haven't been able to get a hold of? Well, interesting you should ask that question. Because of the history of Nevada County being founded and populated during the Gold Rush, a lot of very important firearms made it to our local area during the expansion of the West. And some of the most expensive guns ever made by Colt and Winchester I know are still hiding in Nevada County. I know of four Colt Walkers that have come out of Nevada County since I've been paying attention, so the last 30 years. And those are all $200,000 to $400,000 each. And they're a very rare revolver, one of the first revolvers ever produced in America by Samuel Colt. And they saw extensive service during the Mexican War in California during the Gold Rush. And because a lot of these soldiers and sailors stayed after the Mexican-American War ends in 1848, they make their way to the gold fields in 1849 and they take their guns with them. And because of that, there's some very important firearms I think that are still hiding in homes in Nevada County. Wow. You know, have you ever thought about writing a book or maybe you're working on a book? Because it sounds like you have such a deep knowledge of history. Yeah, actually, I have a few ideas of books, but of course books take time and time is the one commodity I really don't have, being a father and a husband and working full time. But one of my bucket list things is to be able to say I wrote a book. And there's a whole host of different kinds of books. There's fiction and nonfiction and things you're interested in. And the things I'm interested in maybe not necessarily somebody else is going to be interested in it. I don't want to write a book and not have it sell, you know? I don't know that that's something you need to worry about because, hey, I'll buy it. Let me know. You know, it's funny because I wasn't sure that everyone else shares my same passions. I don't always assume that. But just another quick plug for Ken over at Friar Tuck's. Over a year ago, I approached him and I told him, I said, hey, you know, we have great history. And, you know, I would come in there once a week and I'd always talk about how much history the town had. And he says, well, what can we do to help? I said, well, why don't we start a historical speaking series? And so Ken said, hey, put it together for me and do the inaugural one so we can see what that looks like. And then we'll put it on the schedule if it's something that's popular. So I put together a one-hour presentation and they did a cocktails menu, a special Gold Rush cocktails menu, and they did some finger foods. And we did this one-hour presentation on history of the Gold Rush. And it sold out. And they've had one or two a month for over a year now. And every single one sells out within about 24 hours. So that just tells you how hungry the area was for history and people to talk about history. I believe that's where Mike started doing that. Now he's on KNCO, correct? That is correct. Yeah, I forgot about that. He was doing the radio show as part of that series. That's correct. Yeah, History Unfolded is the name of it. How about maybe you've already covered this, but do you know what might have inspired all this, your love of history? You know, I'm an avid reader. And, you know, I believe in education. But I also believe, as an aside to that, you need to read. And you need to read a lot. I believe that if you want to know where you're going as an individual and where you're going as a country, you need to know about the people that came before you. Because typically nothing's really new. And, I mean, we're not reinventing the wheel. We've been faced with a lot of these problems before. And if you read about it, it gives you a much better understanding when you need to make decisions on either how you vote or how you handle some of these, you know, issues within your community or your own personal issues. Chances are somebody that came before you had the same issues and wrote about it. So I always tell people to read as much as you can. And I think that by reading, that inspired me. You know, some of the heroes of some of these battles and some of these great leaders that we've had. I wanted to experience something bigger than myself. And so I knew that the Marine Corps would give me that opportunity. And it definitely didn't let me down. Well, we need to take our final break. And then we'll come back and we'll talk once again about the events that are going on as far as the anniversary of the birth of the United States Marine Corps. We'll be back with Jason and with Brian. It is 951 and 55 degrees. Thanksgiving morning. It's Nevada County Turkey Trot at Hooper Stadium at Nevada Union High School. And this year begins an exciting new chapter as the Turkey Trot Foundation has been established to carry on the beloved tradition of the MBV2 Foundation that has supported and cared for our community for over two decades. There will be 5 and 10K walks and runs on a combination of trail and street terrain. Registration fees are $25 per person, 15 and older, and $12 for kids 14 and under. Registration deadline to be guaranteed a T-shirt is Wednesday, November 18th. The Nevada County Turkey Trot is a benefit to fund accessible mental health and wellness resources, supporting local youth programs, and caring for first responders who watch over all of us. On race day, registration begins at 730. And the 5 and 10K runs and 5K walks begin at 830. For more information and to register online, go to NevadaCountyTurkeyTrot.com. We'll see you Thanksgiving morning for the Nevada County Turkey Trot come rain or shine. At Grass Valley Provisions, caring for the community also means caring for the place we call home. That's why Wolf Creek Community Alliance is their community beneficiary for November. Every Sunday throughout the month, a portion of Provisions proceeds will help support this important local organization. Wolf Creek Community Alliance is a volunteer-run nonprofit working to protect, preserve, and restore the Wolf Creek watershed. Through cleanup, water monitoring, education, and stewardship, they're helping keep this natural resource healthy for generations to come. When you shop Provisions on Sundays in November, it helps support that mission. Well-rooted in Nevada County, Provisions offers quality products, exceptional value, and knowledgeable service in a beautiful, welcoming environment. Adults 21 and over, shop online at GVProvisions.com or visit 403 Idaho Maryland Road, open daily, 9 to 9. Grass Valley Provisions, lift up your day the Grass Valley way. With the possibility of El Nino storms this winter, now is the time to make sure your home is ready. All About Gutters and Awnings installs seamless gutters that move rainwater safely away from your home, protecting your roof and foundation from costly water damage. Choose from 26 different colors, and in most cases, installation only takes one day. With leaf guard options, you'll spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying the season. All About Gutters and Awnings, protecting your home season after season. Awningsandgutters.com Each Monday, you'll have the chance to win a lunch special at Minor Moe's Pizza. This will be for dine-in between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Minor Moe's is a woman-owned business that supports and enjoys this community. Call 530-265-0284 or visit MinorMoesPizza.com. Contests on Mondays are now Minor Moe Days on KNCO News Talk 830. If you've opened your insurance renewal lately and thought, how can anyone afford this? You're not alone. Across California, homeowners and businesses are facing skyrocketing premiums, reduced coverage, and in some cases, cancellations altogether. But there's hope. Rockrow's risk is changing the way wildfire insurance works. They specialize in helping property owners in wildfire-prone areas lower risk and lower insurance costs by recognizing the wildfire mitigation work you've already done or helping you create a smarter protection plan moving forward. Their clients save an average of 21 to 35% on premiums while creating safer, more resilient properties. From residential homes to commercial properties, Rockrow's risk combines insurance expertise with innovative wildfire risk assessment to help protect what matters most. Don't assume you're out of options. Visit Rockrow'sRisk.com today and discover a smarter approach to insurance in wildfire country. That's Rockrow'sRisk.com. You are one of a kind. Your smile, your laugh, the way you look at those you love. So when it comes to cancer care, you deserve a treatment approach that's as unique as you. Dignity Health Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital features a comprehensive range of services from advanced diagnosis and treatment through supportive care and recovery so you get the plan that best fits your needs. Learn more at DignityHealth.org slash Sierra Nevada Cancer. Dignity Health. Hello, humankindness. And we're back for the remaining moments of insight on KNCO News Talk 830. Moe Howard filling in for Tom Fitzsimmons. Jason Tedder filling in for himself. I'm filling something over here. I think it's my pants. Not like that. Come on. It depends. And Brian Manafort is on the line from Pennsylvania. All right. So since we just have a few minutes remaining, perhaps you wouldn't mind, you gentlemen, going over what is happening as far as the anniversary of the birth of the Marine Corps. Well, one important note that I got to get out to everybody, because it's important to me, so I assume it's important to everybody else. Today is sandwich day, and I love sandwiches, but the only thing I love more than sandwiches is cake. And next week, see, my daughter's laughing because she knows. Next week, my favorite part of the Marine Corps birthday is the big, giant cake that they have. That's true. They do have one. And where is that giant cake? Where do they do that? What happens is, I'm glad Jason brought that up, because one of the best parts about a Marine Corps birthday, if you attend in person, is we bring out the cake, and of course that's going to be the dessert for everybody, but there's a moment when the cake comes out where we cut a piece with a Marine Corps officer's sword, and the oldest Marine present gets a piece, he takes a bite, and then he hands it to the youngest Marine present, and then he takes a bite. And what that symbolizes is the older generation of Marines passing the mantle of responsibility to our younger generation of Marines. But I always enjoy seeing the 100-year-old World War II veteran and the, you know, 18-year-old kid who just got out of boot camp, and it's always kind of a light moment, entertaining moment at the Marine Corps birthday where we get to see the oldest and youngest partake, you know, with the same piece of cake. That's very cool. Is there some kind of note about the difference in the ages as far as the record? Have you seen anything like that? Yeah, that's a good question. So what happens is basically somebody is going to be emceeing it on the microphone, and they're kind of the narrator or the presenter of events. And they'll say the oldest Marine present today is, you know, Bob Adams, and he's 102 years old, and he went to boot camp in, you know, August of 1941. And then they'll give a little bit about his career, and then they'll say the youngest Marine present is so-and-so, and it's typically somebody who just graduated within a few months of the ceremony. And it just really puts it into perspective how multigenerational the traditions are and everything, so it's an entertaining moment. That could be like 80, 90 years between the two under some extraordinary circumstances. Yeah, I've been to balls before where the oldest Marine present is 104, and the youngest Marine present is 17. So it really puts it in perspective for you. Jason, what's the difference there? No math right now. Sorry. I do want to say, though, we're going to have a very special guest at this event, and it's going to be General Orlow Steele, and I believe he's going to be the one eating that first buggin' cake. He's 94 years old, and he's a two-star general, lives in Grass Valley. So, Brian, where is this going to be, and how do we get to it? So the Sherwood at Friar Tucks, the United States Marine Corps, 251st birthday celebration, November 10th, $75 a person starting at four until close, and you can find that at www.friartucks.com. And there's a URL code, and we hope to see you there. All right, Brian, Jason, thank you, gentlemen, for being here today. Thank you both. I appreciate you both. Thanks, Mo. Thanks, Jason. I look forward to seeing you next Tuesday. --- end of transcript ---